Fitness certificates for Chennai Metro trains

The Research Design and Standards Organisation will check factors such as vibration from trains and passenger comfort before issuing the certificate

The trains for Chennai Metro Rail will soon receive a ‘fitness’ certificate from the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), said Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) officials.

They said that RDSO representatives will visit to Chennai this week and conduct various tests on the trains.

“They will stay in Chennai for 2-3 weeks and carry out all the required tests and trials that include checks on vibrations from trains and various aspects of passenger comfort,” an official of CMRL said.

Speed certification by RDSO is one of the statutory technical requirements for running the trains, according to CMRL. After the RDSO officials give their clearances, the Commissionerate of Rail Safety (CRS) and the Ministry of Railways will have to give the final nod to commence revenue operations.

Chennai Metro Rail that is built at a cost Of Rs. 14,600 crore has 42 trains. Nine of these that were manufactured in Sao Paulo, Brazil, are in Chennai already and three from a batch of 33 made in Sri City in Andhra Pradesh, a special economic zone located about 50 km from here, have reached the city.

CMRL officials plan to put 10 trains to use in the 10-km stretch from Koyambedu to Alandur that is likely to be thrown open to the public by October this year.

For over a week now, the CMRL officials have been carrying out trial runs on this stretch.

“There is a lot of time left before we approach CRS. To get clearances from them, the construction of stations along the Koyambedu- Alandur stretch will have to be complete,” he added.